Chap. XX. SELECTION. 177 



When animals or plants are born with, some conspicuous 

 and firmly inherited new character, selection is reduced to the 

 preservation of such individuals, and to the subsequent pre- 

 vention of crosses ; so that nothing more need be said on the 

 subject. But in the great majority of cases a new character, 

 or some superiority in an old character, is at first faintly 

 pronounced, and is not strongly inherited ; and then the full 

 difficulty of selection is experienced. Indomitable patience, 

 the finest powers of discrimination, and sound judgment must 

 be exercised during many years. A clearly predetermined 

 object must be kept steadily in view. Few men are endowed 

 with all these qualities, especially with that of discriminating 

 very slight differences ; judgment can be acquired only by 

 long experience ; but if any of these qualities be wanting, 

 the labour of a life may be thrown away. I have been 

 astonished when celebrated breeders, whose skill and judg- 

 ment have been proved by their success at exhibitions, have 

 shown me their animals, which appeared all alike, and have 

 assigned their reasons for matching this and that individual. 

 The importance of the great principle of Selection mainly lies 

 in this power of selecting scarcely appreciable differences, 

 which nevertheless are found to be transmissible, and which 

 can be accumulated until the result is made manifest to the 

 eyes of every beholder. 



The principle of selection may be conveniently divided into 

 three kinds. Methodical selection is that which guides a man 

 who systematically endeavours to modify a breed according to 

 some predetermined standard. Unconscious selection is that 

 which follows from men naturally preserving the most valued 

 and destroying the less valued individuals, without any 

 thought of altering the breed ; and undoubtedly this process 

 slowly works great changes. Unconscious selection graduates 

 into methodical, and only extreme cases can be distinctly 

 separated ; for he who preserves a useful or perfect animal 

 will generally breed from it with the hope of getting offspring 

 of the same character ; but as long as he has not a prede- 

 termined purpose to improve the breed, he may be said to be 

 selecting unconsciously. 1 Lastly, we have Natural selection, 



1 The term unconscious selection has been objected to as a contradiction: 



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